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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28575474">"If it's with you, then it's an adventure!"</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugamama_crowshi/pseuds/sugamama_crowshi'>sugamama_crowshi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bisexual Nishinoya Yuu, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Friends to Lovers, Gay Azumane Asahi, I do love a good slow burn, I mean it, M/M, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Time Skip, Slow Burn, they're not gonna kiss until at least Chapter 12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:46:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,363</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28575474</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugamama_crowshi/pseuds/sugamama_crowshi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>On the eve of 2019, Nishinoya Yuu returns to Japan with full intention to stay until the end of May to attend the Tanakas' friends-only wedding reception. On the first day of 2019, Azumane Asahi receives a surprise Happy Birthday text and realizes his long-time friend-turned-crush is only a train ride away. As they'd once said, "Zip, and you're there!"<br/>As the two of them reconnect, Asahi is realizing he has to face the feelings he'd long since bottled up. Meanwhile, Nishinoya is struggling with whether or not it's time to find a reason to settle down.</p><p>Updates weekly on Monday/Tuesday EST.</p><p>
  <b>Please do not translate or repost any of my fics without my permission</b>
</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, background Shimizu Kiyoko/Tanaka Ryuunosuke - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>"If it's with you, then it's an adventure!"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is the first hq fanfic I've written in over 4 years. I didn't think I'd ever post on the account again, but then the manga officially ended, I re-read it cover-to-cover, and I had a lot of feelings about the canon ending, especially involving Asahi and Noya. Hence the birth of this idea which became my 2020 Nanowrimo.</p><p>Forewarning:<br/>(1) I did my best to align with the canon timeline, and any deviations from it were done in the name of creative fiction.<br/>(2) This fic will eventually contain explicit sexual content. I have kept the story unrated for the time being so as not to give those expecting explicit content to be disappointed when there is no sex to be found. The rating will be upped to 'Explicit' in due time.<br/>(2) I don't follow fandom activities/social media anymore, and have only read a handful of (mostly single-chapter asanoya) Haikyuu!! fics since 2016. I know I'm not the first person to write a post-time skip story, and any similarities this story may hold to others in the fandom are purely coincidence. If it looks like I'm copying/stealing ideas from other creators, please leave a comment so I can support their works while also making sure I'm not unwittingly writing the same story. Remember kids: plagiarism is never okay, and always support your local (and digital) artists!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>1: In which Nishinoya Yuu returns to Japan</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Monday, December 31, 2018<br/>
7:48 PM</strong>
</p><p>It was always a strange feeling to describe, the one after stepping off a plane and breathing the non-circulated air for the first time in hours. Nishinoya didn’t have a great phrase for it. He was never the most eloquent when it came to words, but the feeling always left him with a light fluttering in his chest. How to describe it? Something about the air was always different just after stepping off a plane. It was almost like it tasted right.</p><p><em>Kinda like how Shoyo always talked about the salonpas smell of the volleyball courts, </em>he thought to himself with a chuckle.</p><p>The way to describe this air was…right. It was cold, but not quite crisp, and it felt so painfully familiar that the nostalgia made him tear up a bit. It had been almost three years since he’d set foot in Japan, but it felt right. It smelled right, it tasted right, it was right.</p><p>It was home.</p><p>Hiking his bag up higher on his shoulders, Nishinoya took longer strides as he walked up the slight ramp of the exit towards the terminal. For landing so late on New Year’s Eve, the airport was surprisingly busy. Noya usually hated flying in at night—he always felt like he was missing out on the day ahead of him—but he was honestly exhausted after flying from Sicily to Sendai with three connections over two days. Overall, the flights were fine, but the seven-hour layover in Incheon wasn’t ideal (even if the flight was considerably cheaper because of it). He was glad to be back on solid, familiar ground after a while.</p><p>
  <em>Hopefully I can get in a long, hot shower after this too.</em>
</p><p>Exiting the terminal, Nishinoya pulled his phone out of his pocket and connected to the WiFi. He sent a quick text to his parents to let them know he landed. With each step he felt a bit more energy return. His stiff joints began to stretch out and he stood a little straighter. Now that the flight was behind him, Noya was excited to be back in Japan. He hadn’t planned on returning for a while, but there were many things waiting for him, and there was cause for celebration.</p><p>As Nishinoya exited the terminal and made his way down to the ground floor to baggage claim, he saw a familiar couple waiting by the doors. He waved wildly as he walked over.</p><p>“Ryuu!” he called. “Long time no see! How have you been?”</p><p>Tanaka Ryuunosuke full on beamed as he and Noya exchanged a handshake and a hug. He pulled away and laughed.</p><p>“Damn Noya, it’s good to see you! I’ve been good! Look at you though! Methinks you’ve grown a bit!”</p><p>“Methinks I can agree!”</p><p>Noya gave his friend a once-over. Tanaka had obviously filled out since high school. It made sense, considering the last time they’d talked Ryuu mentioned he was now working as a personal trainer. Aside from that, he didn’t look that much different from when they were in high school. He kept his hair short, though it was a bit longer than when they played volleyball together. He was wearing an orange sweatshirt with the logo of what Nishinoya assumed was the gym, and black joggers with white sneakers. His smile was as bright as his shirt.</p><p>Next to Tanaka was another equally familiar person who was smiling at their exchange. She too hadn’t changed much from high school, except that her hair was cut into a stylish bob and she was wearing contacts instead of her old pink frames. She was wearing a simple black coat over a skirt and low heels, black leggings protecting her from the winter chill. On her left ring finger was a simple silver band with three diamonds.</p><p>“It’s good to see you too, Nishinoya-kun.”</p><p>“Kiyoko-san! I came all this way to see you!”</p><p>Kiyoko laughed at his enthusiastic greeting, and actually accepted his hug (which was new for Nishinoya; he savored the moment). They pulled away, Noya’s grin even bigger than before.</p><p>“You look well, Kiyoko-san! How have you been?”</p><p>“You don’t have to add ‘-san’ anymore,” she said. “Ryuu says we’re basically family now.”</p><p>“Damn right we are,” Tanaka said sagely with a nod.</p><p>Nishinoya couldn’t help but laugh at that. “What a thought! If you’d told me back in high school that the goddess of my world would basically be my sister-in-law, I would’ve died.”</p><p>“Please don’t phrase it like that,” groaned Tanaka. “It’s embarrassing.”</p><p>Kiyoko laughed. “It’s cute. I’m kinda glad you told me that.”</p><p>The two boys blushed. It wasn’t like it was a secret that the two of them had had massive crushes on Shimizu Kiyoko during their time at Karasuno. She always seemed to be on a pedestal they couldn’t quite reach. To be fair, looking back, Noya knew full well it was like that only because they’d forced her to be unreachable.</p><p>It was certainly a bit of a surprise during Noya’s third year when he’d learned Tanaka was still in regular contact with Kiyoko following her graduation. It was an even bigger surprise when Tanaka had mentioned he and Kiyoko were dating. She’d come to a few of their games here and there, and she was part of the cheering crowd during their run to nationals. And it was definitely odd to see the two of them share a long hug after they’d lost to Inarizaki.</p><p>Nishinoya remembered when the five of them—him, Tanaka, Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita—had graduated, that Tanaka mentioned offhandedly, “I’m gonna do my best to prove I can provide for Kiyoko. And when I do that, I’m gonna propose.”</p><p>Ennoshita laughed and said, “Make sure to invite us all to your wedding, even if we end up hating each other. I need to see that in the flesh.”</p><p>“I’ll hold you to that. Even if you don’t wanna come by the time that happens.”</p><p>Little did anyone guess that after a few short years, Shimizu Kiyoko would say yes to his proposal.</p><p>Which brought them here today.</p><p>Tanaka said, “You didn’t have to come all the way back to Japan on such short notice. We just now picked a day for the friend wedding. And I swore I told you it’s not ‘til May.”</p><p>“I know, I know, but I did promise my family I’d try to be home for the holidays. Besides, I wouldn’t miss it for the world! Speaking of which, I am so sorry I missed your actual wedding.”</p><p>“There’s no reason to apologize,” said Kiyoko. “You did tell everyone you’d be backpacking through Spain for a while, so you didn’t know if you’d have a chance to charge your phone every day. And that was just for family.”</p><p>“Still, over two weeks to say congrats feels excessive.”</p><p>“Says the one who dropped his world adventure tour just to come back and say congrats in person,” Tanaka remarked.</p><p>Noya pouted. He hated how the two of them had a point.</p><p>Kiyoko must’ve sensed his dropping mood. She put a hand on Noya’s shoulder and smiled.</p><p>“I’d love to hear all about Spain when we get back to our place. The pictures you sent were amazing.”</p><p>“Of course!”</p><p>“But first!” Tanaka interrupted before Noya could scroll to that particular album. “Let’s get your suitcase and get out of here. You’re probably hungry, and I’d like to sit down too.”</p><p>“Right!”</p><p>They didn’t have long to wait. Just a couple of minutes later, Nishinoya retrieved his battered red suitcase (which was decked out with stickers from all the places he’d been) and the three of them were off.</p><p>As Tanaka lead them out of the airport, Noya said, “You guys didn’t have to come pick me up and let me spend the night. I was planning to take a taxi to my parents’ house.”</p><p>“We wanted to! Besides, we live closer to the airport than most people, and your flight was a late one. You can always go back to your parents’ house tomorrow morning. We called them and they already agreed to it.”</p><p>Noya blinked. “Wait, we’re not heading back to Tomiya?”</p><p>Kiyoko shook her head. “Ryuu and I actually found our own place in Sendai a few months back, right after we got married. Saeko-san has been bringing us all your postcards and packages when she has the time to spare.”</p><p>Noya gasped. “You should’ve told me! I didn’t realize you guys moved out of town!”</p><p>Tanaka waved it away. “It’s not a big deal. Your phone service is spotty at best. And it gives my sister an excuse to come and visit.”</p><p>“She came down today, by the way,” Kiyoko added.</p><p>At the mention of Saeko, Nishinoya’s eyes lit up. “Nee-san! How is she?”</p><p>“She’s good. Quit her old job and is working at a new place. Does body work on motorcycles now.”</p><p>Noya nodded sagely. “So cool.”</p><p>“Very. She says she can take you back up tomorrow, so you don’t have to waste your money on a train ticket. But she wanted it to be a surprise. So, like, act surprised when you see her.”</p><p>“You got it!”</p><p>Nishinoya was pleasantly surprised when Tanaka led them all to a nice-looking Honda. Very domestic, not nearly as flashy as Noya would have suspected. Practical.</p><p><em>How grown up! </em>Noya thought.</p><p>Tanaka popped the trunk for Noya to put his bags in. Nishinoya did so, and then hopped into the backseat. He waited for his friends to get into the car before he started asking questions again.</p><p>“So what’s it like, being away from the family?” he asked.</p><p>Tanaka started the engine. “Really nice. Remember my uncle, the one who lives up in Iwate? He’s been doing woodworking on the side, so he made us a few things as a house-warming gift. And Kiyoko’s parents helped us out a lot. Both our parents gave us a bunch of old furniture and hired a moving company for us.”</p><p>“We were very fortunate,” said Kiyoko. “Our next plan is to get more matching cups though. I don’t think we have more than two that match.”</p><p>Tanaka laughed. “That’s true.”</p><p>“Turn left there, dear.”</p><p>“Right, thanks.”</p><p>They pulled out from the parking lot and were merging onto the highway. Nishinoya felt weird watching the traffic go by. Were Japanese cars always this small? At least it wasn’t like when he’d first gone to the United States and everyone drove on the right side of the road. That was jarring, and very dangerous for Noya since he kept looking the wrong way to cross the street then.</p><p>“So?” Noya asked. “When’s the friend wedding exactly?”</p><p>“The weekend after Golden Week,” said Tanaka. “We were hoping to get it earlier so we could get pictures with the cherry blossoms, but I’m sure you can imagine that every venue we looked into was booked out or outside our price range.”</p><p>“My parents did offer to help pay for some of those costs,” Kiyoko mentioned.</p><p>“But they already paid for most of our official family wedding.”</p><p>“Tell me more about your actual wedding through,” Noya interjected. “I saw a couple of pictures, but I don’t think we’ve had a chance to actually talk about it.”</p><p>Tanaka snorted. “You’re right. There’s really not much to tell though…”</p><p>“My parents really wanted us to have a traditional Shinto wedding, since my maternal grandfather is a priest,” Kiyoko explained.</p><p>“I didn’t know that! That’s so cool!”</p><p>“Thanks. Apparently my dad had to ask for my mother’s hand in marriage multiple times before my grandfather said yes.”</p><p>“Awww, that’s cute! Ryuu, how many times did you ask your in-laws for permission to marry Kiyoko-san?”</p><p>“Thanks for your vote of confidence, man. And for the record, I only had to ask once.”</p><p>“My parents were actually very happy,” said Kiyoko. “He was so nervous, so when my dad saw him, I think he felt a bit bad. It reminded him of what he went through.”</p><p>“Your dad is really great,” said Tanaka. “He and my parents get along really well.”</p><p>“My mom can be a bit old fashioned, but she means well.”</p><p>“Oh?”</p><p>“She did say Ryuu should be able to support me, especially when we decide to have kids. Which we don’t plan to do for a while.” Kiyoko turned to look back at Nishinoya. “We’d rather figure out our careers before all of that.”</p><p>Noya gave her a thumbs up. “Good on you! Kids are cute, but they’re expensive.”</p><p>Tanaka made a noise of agreement. “Plus, we’re still young. Kids can wait. We’d like to do some fun things like travel and spend money on ourselves before kids. You’ll have to give us some recommendations on where to go for vacation.”</p><p>“You betcha. Still, I can’t believe it,” Nishinoya said in awe. “Imagine a bunch of little Tanakas running around. You’d have your hands full if they end up anything like you, Ryuu.”</p><p>Tanaka coughed loudly. “So anyway, back to the weddings…”</p><p>“Right! We got distracted.” Kiyoko laughed again. “Like we said, my parents want us to have a traditional Shinto ceremony, but Ryuu and I really wanted a western style one. We came to an agreement that our official ceremony would be a small one in my mother’s hometown with both our families present.”</p><p>“Which is the one you guys had in September, right?”</p><p>The two of them made affirmative sounds.</p><p>“And now you’re going to have the friend wedding in May.” Nishinoya whistled. “That sounds like too much work. Good on you!”</p><p>“We’re still working out all the kinks, but it’s coming together at last.”</p><p>Tanaka and Kiyoko shared a smile that made Noya’s heart melt for them. They looked so happy!</p><p>“Well,” said Nishinoya, “I sure hope I’m invited to your spring ceremony seeing as I’ve come all this way.”</p><p>Ryuu scoffed. “Obviously you are! We have the official invite printed that we sent out. Yours is in our apartment. Good thing you came back to Japan so we can actually deliver it to you. Though New Year’s Eve was sooner than I expected you to be back.”</p><p>“Again, sorry I crashed so last minute.”</p><p>“What brings you back to Japan anyway? I thought for sure you’d be wandering around Europe for a little while longer.”</p><p>“I guess I wanted to be back for New Year’s. My mom mentioned the whole family’s gathering this year, and I figured I should be here.”</p><p>“What are you planning after that? Sticking around?”</p><p>Nishinoya hummed as he pondered. “Not sure yet. I did tell my parents I’d be coming, and they said they’d clean up my room a bit so I can use that. I could probably do a trip around Japan, just like I did when I first graduated, but this time I’ll document it better.”</p><p>“For your blog?” Kiyoko asked.</p><p>Noya’s eyes sparkled. “Yeah! Have you been following it?”</p><p>“Since Day 1!” Tanaka declared. “It’s nice to know that you’re doing well and having fun. I was genuinely worried you’d just vanish and we’d never know where you went off to. The blog was a good way to know you weren’t dead.”</p><p>The conversation reached a lull. Nishinoya found himself drifting off in the backseat as the Tanakas had a conversation of their own. Though he wasn’t really paying attention, he couldn’t help but note how much more talkative Kiyoko was compared to high school. Her voice was more lively, and her gestures were animated as she spoke. Tanaka, on the other hand, seemed to have mellowed out a bit. He was still animated, but he didn’t say anything out of the ordinary. It was a normal conversation: dinner plans, grocery store sales, gas prices. At one point, Noya saw Kiyoko reach over and gently lay a hand on Tanaka’s free one as he continued to drive (he had a single hand on the steering wheel). Tanaka laced their fingers together.</p><p>It was disgustingly cute.</p><p>Nishinoya definitely fell asleep after that, because he came to when the engine shut off and the car announced it was disconnecting their IC card.</p><p>“Nishinoya-kun,” Kiyoko said gently. “We’re here.”</p><p>Tanaka had parked in a small parking lot behind an apartment complex. The building was six stories high and in a residential area with several other homes and apartments around. There was a crossing sign nearby for a school.</p><p>“We’re on the third floor,” said Tanaka, getting out of the car.</p><p>Nishinoya hopped out of the car and grabbed his bags. He saw Saeko’s old wagon parked not too far away. He smiled knowing there was someone waiting for him upstairs. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he followed his friends up the side steps.</p><p>“Looks like a nice neighborhood,” Nishinoya said. “It’s quiet.”</p><p>“It is. Ryuunosuke has to drive to the other side of town for work, but it’s very close to where I work,” said Kiyoko. “And there are lots of families in this area, so there is a good selection of grocery stores in walking distance.”</p><p>“Convenient! Sounds nice! Remind me where you work again?”</p><p>“It’s a sports store. The main location was opened here in Sendai, but there are a few more locations now. Since I ran track and worked with the volleyball team, I’ve been helping a lot of young athletes find gear.”</p><p>“And she sometimes helps with promotional stuff,” Tanaka added. “Kiyoko, which school did you do the uniform order for? Wasn’t it one we played in the past?”</p><p>“Wakutani Minami High School, but it was the women’s team.”</p><p>Noya laughed. “Small world.”</p><p>“For real. This is us,” said Tanaka. “Nee-san probably left the door open, knowing her.”</p><p>True to his word, the door labeled 315 was unlocked. Tanaka entered first, followed by Kiyoko. Nishinoya waited until they were both in and had their shoes off before entering the genkan.</p><p>“Pardon my intrusion!”</p><p>“Yeah, come in,” said Tanaka. “Nee-san, we’re home!”</p><p>“Over here!” called another familiar voice from around the corner.</p><p>Nishinoya removed his shoes and stepped into the main area. He took a quick look around the apartment. To his right was a door Noya assumed was a closet or the bathroom. A hallway went forward that led to an open door, where he could make out tatami. A bedroom. To the left was where the main area was. It was an LDK. There was an open kitchen further back, where Tanaka and Kiyoko had set up a dining area. Windows lined part of the left wall, which led to a balcony. A bird cage with a sleeping parakeet hung from a ceiling hook near the windows. Directly to Noya’s left was the living room area, which had a couch facing a wall-mounted TV, and a coffee table. There were also two matching armchairs, in which Tanaka Saeko was occupying one. She got up the moment he laid his eyes on her.</p><p>“Yuu! Good to see you!”</p><p>“Saeko-neesan!” Noya’s eyes lit up as he saw the older Tanaka. He didn’t even have to pretend to be surprised to see her. “It’s been too long!”</p><p>Saeko got up and gave him a firm hug. “Damn right it has been! You should’ve come by to visit here and there.”</p><p>“Nee-san, please,” groaned Tanaka. “You’re the one who told me not to wish for Noya to come visit because we don’t wanna interrupt his world tour.”</p><p>“So whaaaaat! Just because we know that logic doesn’t mean we can’t miss Yuu-kun and wish he would be around. Which reminds me, Ryuu totally didn’t send me the link to your blog—”</p><p>“I did! It was right before you got that new phone—”</p><p>“—so I need to hear all your adventures from you in person!”</p><p>“Are you listening, Onee-san?”</p><p>“Ryuu! Don’t interrupt, I’m trying to talk to Yuu.”</p><p>“Seriously?!”</p><p>Kiyoko laughed as Saeko reprimanded her brother for interrupting her. She put a hand on her husband’s shoulder as moral support. Nishinoya laughed along too. He disentangled himself from Saeko’s hug.</p><p>“Don’t worry. I’ll send you a link,” he promised. “And like I told Ryuu earlier, I’m planning on sticking around in Japan for a bit, so we can meet up when you’re free.”</p><p>“I will make sure you hold your end of that bargain. I gotta get in on your adventures!”</p><p>“Noya! Do you want something to drink?” Tanaka asked from the kitchen.</p><p>“Just water. You won’t believe how dry airplane air is.”</p><p>Saeko said, “Can’t relate, but I’ll believe you. I’ll take a beer if you’ve got it.”</p><p>“I do. Bought one just for you sis.”</p><p>“Oho, thanks little brother!”</p><p>Kiyoko busied herself by grabbing glasses from the cabinet. Tanaka helped her by getting the drinks from the fridge. Nishinoya set his bag down by the door and surveyed the apartment more closely.</p><p>He still couldn’t believe that this was the place his best friend lived. It seemed too nice, in a way. It was clean, the living room was tastefully decorated with a rug and matching throw pillows. It was clean and modern, and there was a touch of femininity to the whole place that screamed domesticity.</p><p>Oh, how far Ryuu had come!</p><p>Tanaka broke Noya’s train of thoughts by handing him a cold bottle of water. “Feel free to sit. I had Onee-san order some pizza, since it’s getting late. And we can run a bath for you for later.”</p><p>“Thanks. I can change now if you’d prefer.”</p><p>“Nonsense!” Tanaka exclaimed. “You had a long day of traveling. You should sit down, hydrate, and eat.”</p><p>Kiyoko nodded. “He’s right. Enjoy your shower after a real meal.”</p><p>“Pizza should be here any minute,” Saeko added. “I ordered it as soon as you texted me you were hitting the road. I hope you don’t mind Yuu, but they were doing some anime collab thing, so I got those flavors.”</p><p>“Sounds good!”</p><p>Not five minutes had passed before the delivery driver arrived.</p><p>Dinner was a pleasant occasion. Nishinoya found he didn’t talk too much outside from sharing his Spain hike (the abridged version). His travel exhaustion was starting to catch up to him. Instead, he ate pizza, drank water, and listened to Saeko talk about her new job and Tanaka and Kiyoko finishing stories about the move. They discussed a few more points about the wedding (since Saeko was helping with logistics).</p><p>“You still looking for a wedding dress?”</p><p>“No, actually. Azumane-kun has a colleague who agreed to design it for me. I’m going to have a fitting in March for it, but it’ll be down in Tokyo.”</p><p>“Aw, I was really hoping to see it early!”</p><p>Kiyoko laughed. “You will get to be surprised like everyone else, unless you want to come along.”</p><p>“Nah, I won’t have time.” Saeko turned to look over her shoulder at her brother. “Ryuu! Have you figured out who all your groomsmen are going to be?”</p><p>“Some of the guys from work, probably, and Noya of course. And the guys from my year.”</p><p>“And you, Kiyoko? Any bridesmaids in mind.”</p><p>“Yachi-chan said she would love to. And I have a couple of friends from work. I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about it. I don’t think we have to go that far into those traditions since we’re not going to be exchanging vows then. It’s really just a reception with a wedding photo shoot.”</p><p>“Weird, but okay.”</p><p>Eventually dinner was done, and tea and desserts were brought out for snacks. Nishinoya gasped, suddenly awake.</p><p>“Cake? You guys shouldn’t have!”</p><p>Kiyoko said, “We wanted to. This is from a place we found that’s just a couple of stations away. You really should go there if you’re gonna stick around Sendai.”</p><p>“We got a variety, so pick your favorite,” said Tanaka.</p><p>After very careful consideration, Nishinoya picked the strawberry shortcake. Saeko took the roll cake, Kiyoko the chocolate torte, and Tanaka the final piece: a Mont Blanc. The four of them ate in relative silence.</p><p>“This is really good cake,” Noya commented. “You said it’s a local place?”</p><p>Tanaka said, “Yep. I’ll send you their website later. Remind me if I forget.”</p><p>Once the cakes were consumed, Kiyoko gathered their dishes and began to wash them. Nishinoya offered to help, but Tanaka firmly told him to stay seated.</p><p>“You are our guest tonight. Relax.”</p><p>Saeko, who was on her phone, got up. “Shit, is it already this time? I’m out. You kids behave now, alright?”</p><p>Ryuunosuke blinked. “Weren’t you planning to stay the night? What about the countdown?”</p><p>“I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you. That Tsukishima guy asked if I wanted to get drinks with him, so I’m actually gonna head over to his place. It’s okay that I leave the car here, right?”</p><p>“There aren’t any parking restrictions here, you should be fine. Do you want a ride there?”</p><p>“Nah, he’s picking me up.” Her phone began buzzing at that exact moment. “Speaking of which, looks like he’s here. Have fun tonight! It was good to see you, Yuu! I’ll come back by morning to take you home, ‘kay?”</p><p>“Sounds good.”</p><p>She headed out the door with a wave. Nishinoya waved back. Once the door shut, he flopped back on the couch.</p><p>“That’s the Tsukishima we know, right? Kei’s older brother? I forgot his name.”</p><p>“Akiteru-san,” Kiyoko answered, taking a seat in an open chair.</p><p>“The two of them hang out almost every time she comes down,” said Tanaka.</p><p>“Really? Are she and Tsukishima an item?”</p><p>“I honestly have no idea. They’ve been hanging out here and there. They’re former classmates after all. And they bonded over volleyball. Can you believe Nee-san actually understands all the rules now? You should see her when she gets heated over referee calls.”</p><p>“It’s very intense,” Kiyoko added, clearing their cups. “Tsukishima-kun, by that I mean Kei, has politely asked his brother not to bring her to his games.”</p><p>“Riiiiight, Tsukishima’s playing still, right?”</p><p>“Yeah, D-2. He and that freaky dog guy from Seijou are teammates now.”</p><p>“No way! That Kyouken guy?”</p><p>“The very same.” Tanaka shook his head. “What a small world we live in…”</p><p>“Imagine if Tsukishima’s older brother ended up marrying Nee-san! And then Tsukishima-kun would be your brother-in-law! Wouldn’t that be wild?”</p><p>Kiyoko laughed at that. “Now that be a small world!”</p><p>“Too small,” said Tanaka, taking a long sip of tea. “I’m not sure how I would feel about that.”              </p><p>“Speaking of small world, is anyone else in Sendai?” asked Nishinoya.</p><p>Kiyoko nodded. “Both Sawamura-kun and Sugawara-kun, though Sugawara-kun is technically in the next town over. But he’s close enough that he’s come by a couple of times.”</p><p>“He brought us a housewarming gift, and Daichi-san scolded him because apparently Suga-san still hasn’t gotten his own furniture situation figured out.”</p><p>“That sounds so unlike him!” exclaimed Nishinoya.</p><p>“I thought so too, but apparently he became a bit of a mess in college. Not in a bad way, but after starting his second year in university, he’s become more and more disorganized. Suga-san’s got his own place now, but he’s pouring all his energy into teaching instead of taking care of himself.”</p><p>“His students adore him though,” said Kiyoko, “according to Sawamura-kun.”</p><p>“If Suga-san’s students didn’t adore him, that would be more wrong,” said Nishinoya sagely. “Anyone else? In Sendai, I mean.”</p><p>“Kinoshita-kun is working out of town, closer to home. I know Ennoshita-kun and Narita-kun are both in the city here.”</p><p>“They are,” Tanaka confirmed. “I know Narita is commuting from home and Chikara’s got his own place.”</p><p>“Same with Yachi-chan and Yamaguchi-kun, but Yachi-chan lives in Sendai so it’s not as far as when she was going to Karasuno. Tsukishima-kun got his own place here rather than commuting. And you’ve heard about Hinata-kun and Kageyama-kun, right?”</p><p>Noya nodded. “I heard from Asahi-san when you all went to see their game! And I saw Kageyama on TV during the Rio Olympics. Still impressed Shoyo went abroad. Good for him! Beach volleyball is waaaaaay outside of my comfort zone.”</p><p>“I’ll say!” Tanaka agreed. “You missed it cuz you just left Japan, but we did a mini-reunion right when Hinata and the others graduated. That was probably the last time we met up as a group up until last month. It’s wild to think three of them are still playing volleyball.”</p><p>“Good for them! Especially that group below us. Three pros after placing third nationally. I would’ve been more surprised if they all quit.”</p><p>Tanaka and Kiyoko nodded in agreement.</p><p>“So most people are around,” Nishinoya noted. “And Asahi-san is still in Tokyo.”</p><p>“He is. Haven’t heard from him in a while, come to think of it.”</p><p>“He’s probably busy,” Kiyoko noted. “Sawamura-kun said they haven’t had a full conversation since the volleyball game because of his schedule. And I’ve only spoken to him once, when he put me in contact with his friend who’s making my wedding dress.”</p><p>Noya nodded, taking all the information in. “Huh. Good for him.”</p><p>“I’m still surprised he went down to Tokyo,” Tanaka admitted. “I thought for sure if there was anyone who would stick around, it would be him.”</p><p>Nishinoya shook his head. “Nah, I knew what he wanted to leave.”</p><p>“He talked to you about it?” Kiyoko’s tone was surprised.</p><p>“Yeah, back before we’d qualified for Spring Interhigh. I guess your class year had a talk with Take-chan about what to do for your futures, especially with the college track members.” Noya laughed at the memory. “Asahi-san actually asked me what I wanted to do with my future, and then he mentioned he wanted to go to Tokyo and pursue fashion.”</p><p>Nishinoya smiled at the memory. “I’m really happy he went through with the plan.”</p><p>“So you knew you wanted to travel since back then, huh?” Tanaka asked.</p><p>“Basically.”</p><p>“I’m surprised you did that. I thought for sure you’d keep playing volleyball.”</p><p>Noya shrugged. “Maybe I could’ve, but at the end of the day I decided that I wanted to experience something other than volleyball. I guess volleyball basically was like, youth? I’d grow up, I’d grow past it. And here we are today.</p><p>“But while we’re talking, I gotta say that you’re the ones who grew up. Marriage! That’s super adult stuff there!”</p><p>Tanaka blushed, while Kiyoko laughed at his embarrassment. Nishinoya gave them a proud smile.</p><p>“I’m glad to see you both look so happy. Seriously, congrats.”</p><p>“Thank you for coming all the way to Japan just to say so,” Tanaka mumbled.</p><p>“I’ll make sure to come by all the time to keep saying it.”</p><p>“Will you be okay doing that?” asked Tanaka, finding his voice again. “I know the train isn’t cheap.”</p><p>“As long as I keep up with all my online work and whatnot, I should have enough money to take a few trips. And it’s not <em>that</em> expensive for me. I do have some savings. And I’ll make some more while I’m here.”</p><p>“Don’t strain yourself. Besides, the two of us are working. It’ll be fine if you can only come by every so often.”</p><p>“Noted!”</p><p>Noya yawned. Though he still felt like he had some residual energy, it was obvious his body was done. The yawn got his friends into motion.</p><p>“Nishinoya-kun, I’ll get the bath heated if you want to get your things ready.” Kiyoko smiled at her husband. “Ryuu dear, can you get the spare futon from the closet?”</p><p>“Sure thing.” Tanaka stood up and stretched.</p><p>“Bathroom is through there,” Kiyoko said, pointing to a door in the hallway. She tapped the control panel in the kitchen for the hot water. “Give it about five minutes to heat up. There’s shampoo and soap if you don’t have your own.”</p><p>“I think I’ve got a bit left in this bag somewhere. Thanks though.”</p><p>Noya forced himself off the comfortable couch to dig through his suitcase. He fished out sweatpants, a clean t-shirt, briefs, and his travel bag. There was just enough soap and shampoo left. He also found his toothbrush and the miniscule amount of toothpaste he had left.</p><p><em>Good enough</em>, Nishinoya thought to himself.</p><p>Tanaka came back with the futon and a towel. He handed the towel to Nishinoya.</p><p>“There you go.”</p><p>“Thanks man.”</p><p>There was a pinging from the water heater control panel. “Your bath is now heated.”</p><p>“Thanks!” Noya said to it.</p><p>Tanaka snorted. “Just take your bath, silly.”</p><p>Giving his friend a hearty slap on the back, Nishinoya grabbed his things and hopping into the bathroom. It was just the shower and tub, with a separated area to change. Nice, the toilet was separate. They did get a good place!</p><p>Noya stripped down and took a long shower, taking extra care to wash the gel out of his hair. He’d put in extra to make it through the flight, but now he was done traveling he wanted it out. After a moment of consideration, he also used conditioner. Once he scrubbed himself raw and red, Noya rinsed off and slipped into the tub.</p><p>Nishinoya sighed as he sank into the hot water. It was nice to be clean. The heat made its way into his sore limbs, taking away the pain of hour of sitting. He sat in the steaming water, staring at the ripples along the surface as he kicked his feet. Noya could feel himself drifting off but forced himself up after the water reheated for the second time and his fingers and toes had pruned significantly.</p><p>Dried and dressed, Noya got out of the bathroom. The coffee table had been moved aside for the futon. Tanaka was sitting on the couch watching the New Year’s countdown. He waved to Noya when he came over.</p><p>“Kiyoko-san…?”</p><p>“She just turned in for the night. I will too, soon. We both have work tomorrow.”</p><p>Noya winced. “Seriously?”</p><p>“Yeah. The sports store’s gonna be busy with all the New Year’s bargains, and I know the gym’s gonna be packed with everyone trying to lose weight for their New Year’s resolutions. Though I can also tell you that it’s gonna be empty by February.”</p><p>Noya snorted. He sat down on the futon cross-legged, staring up at Tanaka. The other had changed into his pajamas. In the background, the TV announcer was giving the ten-minute alert for the New Year. Tanaka glanced at it, then went back to staring at Noya. They grinned at each other.</p><p>Tanaka was the first to speak. “Something about this feels surreal. When’s the last time we’ve slept over like this?”</p><p>“Not since high school,” said Noya, “at those training camps.”</p><p>“Remember how we’d always stay up late and chat for a long time? It was always Chikara who would tell us to shut up and go to sleep cuz we were keeping everyone else up?”</p><p>“How could I forget? Chikara was scary dude, especially when he was captain,” Nishinoya laughed. “God, remember that last camp we went to, when we roped our kouhai into that extra evening practice with Hinata and Tsukishima?”</p><p>“And Hinata and Yamamoto somehow roped Kenma and Lev into joining too?”</p><p>“Yeah! That was fun! Rotating three-on-threes!”</p><p>“And then Kageyama came in because he was pissed at Tokita for not adjusting his setting well enough.” Tanaka laughed. “Oh man, poor Tokita-kun. He didn’t deserve that.”</p><p>Nishinoya nodded. “That was a fun time. It was a good way to end our high school careers.”</p><p>“It was.”</p><p>“Those guys were good guys. I hope they’re all doing well.”</p><p>“They are. They came to Hinata and Kageyama’s game,” said Tanaka. “Shoji and Yaotome ended up going to the same university and they got a tiny little apartment together.”</p><p>“Any of them still playing volleyball?”</p><p>“Not that I’ve heard of, though Tokita helps out with alumni relations. He ended up as captain when Hinata’s year graduated. The underclassmen adored him.”</p><p>“He was a sweet kid.”</p><p>“For real.”</p><p>The two of them were silent, reminiscing. Nishinoya cleared his throat.</p><p>“Seriously though, thanks for letting me stay the night. And coming to get me.”</p><p>“It wasn’t any trouble. In all seriousness, we’re glad you’re here.” Tanaka laughed. “If anything, I’m sorry both Kiyoko and I have work tomorrow, so we don’t have time to do things.”</p><p>“No need to apologize. My family will definitely be doing a big dinner tomorrow anyway. And I’ll be nearby. There’s gonna be a bunch of time where we can get together and do stuff.”</p><p>The two of them stayed up until the official countdown was over, listening to the distant booms of fireworks and the cheers from the upstairs neighbors. They chatted a bit more, before Tanaka stood up and stretched.</p><p>“Okay, I should actually go to bed soon. There’s more water in the fridge if you need it. Kiyoko has work early tomorrow cuz she’s opening the store, but I’m not on the clock until eight-thirty. You have Onee-san’s contact info, so if she’s super late picking you up just call her.”</p><p>“Thanks Ryuu. Goodnight.”</p><p>“Night Noya. Happy New Year.”</p><p>“Happy New Year!”</p><p>Tanaka went to his room and shut the door.</p><p>Nishinoya got under the covers. He spent a little time scrolling through his phone. He responded to his parents, who he left on read after leaving the airport, then scrolled through his social media. Noya debated posting something on his blog but decided against it. He was too tired to make anything of quality, and in all honesty, he wanted a few days without thinking about ‘work.’ He’d make a post once he had settled down and figured out his plans moving forward. A New Year’s post could wait until after the sun came up.</p><p>Maybe he could text…</p><p>No, it was getting late. Not to mention if he sent a text now, there was no way he would be able to stay up and have a decent conversation.</p><p><em>I’ll text him tomorrow morning, </em>Noya decided. Finally succumbing to his sleepiness, Noya turned his phone off and shut his eyes.</p><p>In the comfort of a futon, he promptly passed out.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for sticking around. This fic is going to be pretty slow to start, but it should pick up eventually. I currently have about 18 chapters drafted, but as I edit I expect the fic will end up between 20-25 chapters.</p><p>Unless otherwise stated, I plan to post a new chapter every Monday or Tuesday EST depending on when I finish edits/rewrites. Thanks for reading, and I'll (hopefully) see y'all next week!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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